Well? Do You Feel Chivalry in My Gukbap?
Well? Do You Feel Chivalry in My Gukbap?
"Congratulations, Your Highness, Crown Princess Diana."
"Thank you, Lady Camilla. I've come this far thanks to you."
"It was your own remarkable skill, Your Highness. What could a girl like me have possibly done?"
"No. It was because you personally kept me from going south that Father understood my loyalty. And thanks to that, I was granted the position of Crown Princess. How could I not be happy?"
Though they were smiling, a fierce battle of wills crackled between the two women.
"I am most pleased to see that Your Highness now understands how to weigh a matter's gravity."
"Haha, thank you for putting it that way. You helped set things right. Soon, I'll have to set a few other things right as well."
Crackle!
Was it a sign from the heavens?
Saint Amelia could have sworn she saw sparks burst in the air before her.
"Now that I have ascended to Crown Princess, I intend to make a tour to inspect the hearts of the people and the state of public order in the provinces. What does Lady Camilla think?"
"The Demon King worshipers have yet to be fully eradicated. The First Prince's faction remains intact. A reckless provincial tour at this stage would be poison."
"So that is Lady Camilla's view. And what does our Saintess think?"
The two women's gazes landed on Saint Amelia, who was walking beside them.
"M-Me? Well, I... I'm not sure? I suffered greatly from an ill-advised pilgrimage myself, so I do think a tour at this moment would be rash..."
Stare.
Crown Princess Diana's gaze pricked her skin like needles.
"...but then again, it is precisely in such times that one must look after the provinces to display the true virtue of a ruler, so..."
This time, Lady Camilla's icy stare closed around Saint Amelia.
"...O-oh, goodness! I—I left without doing my morning prayers. Forgive me. I think I must hurry to the Order..."
Amelia clutched her escort knight Mika and tried to flee, but the Crown Princess and Lady Camilla caught her simultaneously.
"Don't run away."
"Do offer Her Highness a word of counsel."
"W-why are you both doing this to m-me? I don't know anyth—"
Just as the saintess's face was draining of color.
"You seem to be enjoying yourselves."
An irritable voice struck the three women's ears.
"Brother Zenon."
It was First Prince Zenon.
Zenon, who bore the gorgeous silver hair of the imperial family, glared at Diana with lake-blue eyes.
Just as Diana was beautiful, so too was Zenon blessed with striking looks.
"You must be thrilled to have been chosen by the gods and made Crown Princess."
"You ought not say such things. It was His Majesty the Emperor who personally chose me. The gods only offered His Majesty the choice."
He ground his teeth as he stared at Diana.
"Crown Princess, simply for catching the remnants of some Demon King worshipers? A stray dog passing by would laugh."
"Are you denying His Majesty the Emperor's choice?"
"I am saying your vaunted reputation is nothing."
"Then take it up with His Majesty. Tell him his Crown Princess is unworthy and that he must retract his decree."
"..."
"Is it not laughable that you say to me what you cannot say to His Majesty?"
Diana met the eyes of Zenon, who was glaring at her through clenched teeth.
"The contest is over, Brother. Accept your defeat and keep quiet. Who knows? I might even grant you a title like Margrave of some border territory."
"You little..."
"Now I shall take my leave. And I would strongly advise against any rash thoughts. You do know that showing hostility toward the Crown Princess who was chosen by His Majesty the Emperor is treason, don't you?"
Diana, bowing with impeccable courtesy, swept past Zenon.
He must be seething.
With the full backing of the nobility, he'd thought the position was his.
So to have the crown prince seat snatched away by the Second Princess, who lacked any such support... he'd feel wronged.
But what can you do.
He should blame his own incompetence.
He'd probably suspect she used foul sorcery and start scheming behind her back.
After all, Zenon was a man who knew better than anyone how to wield his position.
She had no intention of letting him get away with playing dirty tricks.
For now, she only had to wait for him to walk into the trap himself.
"Lady Camilla."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"It seems the provincial tour will have to be postponed somewhat. There are still too many enemies in the capital."
Once she dealt with Zenon, her next thought was to go and bring Lucas back in person.
But before she went down herself...
It might be good to send Andy down to convey my will.
She would dispatch Andy, her loyal vice-commander of the guard. Lucas would understand then.
Just how much she cherished him.
And just how much she needed him.
***
Steam rose gently from the earthenware pot.
Bubble, bubble.
The head knight, Haran, stared at the boiling-hot Pog Gukbap, his gaze flicking between the pot and Ivan as the savory scent of meat broth tickled his nose.
"Young master, did you make this yourself?"
"I did. It's gukbap, simmered exactly according to the recipe I learned from my master. Go on, try it."
"By master, you mean..."
His eyes landed on me.
"I am this fellow's cooking master."
"It is a dish steeped in the spirit of chivalry. A true knight's dish, the kind where any knight must be able to feel that spirit. If you taste this and cannot grasp chivalry, then don't you dare call yourself a knight."
Haran, who had been eyeing Ivan and me with deep suspicion, picked up his spoon.
He could not withstand the glare Ivan was directing at him, a look that said he had no choice but to eat.
"Thank you for the meal."
Haran lifted a spoonful of broth, and his eyes flew wide open.
"Do you understand now? The spirit of chivalry contained in this broth?"
Haran blinked and met my gaze.
He doesn't get it.
This guy can't feel a thing.
Yeah.
How could chivalry even be inside food?
From Heimer to Hamilton to Ivan, every last one of them got brainwashed by Lancelot's nonsense and started reading way too much meaning into the food.
Tasting that it's good should be enough. But no, they pile on unnecessary meaning, so every meal turns into this whole solemn ritual.
"You have no idea what the spirit of chivalry means, right?"
At my words, Ivan's brow furrowed.
"He cannot feel it?"
"Th-that is..."
Haran looked back and forth between me and Ivan, gauging our reactions.
"If you don't know, you can just say so. These guys are the ones attaching meaning where there is none."
"That is not true, Master! Your cooking clearly contained a profound spirit of chivalry. The patience during cooking, the purity of mana, and the sincerity with which you approach others! If I, a knight, cannot feel it, then that merely means my training is still lacking, and so I must continue to remain in this establishment and learn the very essence of cooking from you, Master..."
Then, it happened.
"I-I feel it! Ooh! S-so this is the spirit of chivalry!"
Haran shouted desperately.
He looked like he'd been startled out of his wits at the prospect of staying in the shop.
"You feel it?"
"O-of course! Ha-haha!"
"What kind of chivalric spirit do you feel?"
"Th-that is..."
He could just say he doesn't know.
He's making things worse for himself.
It looked like Ivan's remark about staying had triggered a reflexive response.
Well, everyone must bear the consequences of the disasters they bring upon themselves.
"W-well, I s-sensed perseverance... the kind shown before the fire."
"Perseverance?"
"Yes, and moreover, the passion contained within the broth... the transparent broth, clear enough to see through, must signify that one should have nothing to hide... and, seeing as we have sought you out, it seems you carry some worry as well."
Ivan nodded at those words.
"Oh ho? You have accurately grasped the subtle principle of the clear broth. It seems you are more sincere about chivalry than I expected."
I let out a sigh, careful not to let Ivan or Haran see.
Oh dear.
Haran had just made the worst possible choice.
What's the worst possible choice?
It's that he guessed Ivan's intent correctly.
Ivan would likely seek this man out every time he cooked for a while.
-Can you feel the chivalry I pursue in this dish?
-What about this one?
-I attempted to express the subtle principle contained within gukbap.
I knew Ivan from the novel, so I knew just how stubborn a man he was.
Right now, Haran had provoked the obsession of the still-unfinished gukbap zealot, Ivan.
It's going to be exhausting for a while.
Not for me. For Haran.
Thank you.
Ivan, who had been listening to Haran's critique and nodding along, smiled at me with satisfaction.
"Master, it seems my chivalry has reached them."
"Has it?"
"Judging from the fact that he can read chivalry, he seems like a trustworthy fellow."
"You're willing to trust him over that? What if the man was lying about feeling chivalry?"
Haran flinched at the remark.
"If he falsely guessed my intent... then he deserves a decisive punishment."
"Hic!"
Yeah. That's the spirit, Ivan.
Before you meet Duke Perdes, make sure you establish the pecking order clearly.
Once it's confirmed that Princess Diana has ascended to Crown Princess, the duke will need you even more.
"Let's feed the other knights as well."
"An excellent idea. We'll feed them too and test their qualifications."
Ivan grinned broadly as he ladled broth into the earthenware pot.
The knights who came into the restaurant at Haran's summons were all asked the exact same question.
Not one of them gave a proper answer.
Like rookie applicants standing before an interviewer, they just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
That aside.
"This is good."
The clear Pog Gukbap that Ivan had simmered was actually quite delicious.
The Pog brisket, fully simmered, was tender. The gamey Pog smell was perfectly removed, leaving the broth clean and crisp. And thanks to the appropriate use of MSG, a rich finish lingered deep in the mouth.
The flavor of the ingredients, cut with sufficient mana, came alive beautifully inside it.
Every time I bit into the brisket soaked in broth, an incredible savory richness spread through my mouth.
This makes me crave rice.
A spoonful of that clear broth and rice, with some seokbakji or gimjang kimchi laid on top?
Ahhhh.
This was the perfect Pog Gukbap for a meal in the chilly late-autumn weather.
"This is a passing grade."
It would have been even better with some thin wheat noodles tossed into the boiling gukbap, but even without that, it was already a passing grade.
"Thank you, Master!"
"It's good."
Even Andrea, who had a picky palate, wore a satisfied expression.
"Zzzzz..."
Bldi, who was asleep, didn't get to taste it in the end, but she would have been just as happy as long as we added a generous amount of garlic.
"So, have you reached a conclusion?"
I asked Ivan once I had completely emptied his bowl of Pog Gukbap.
Ivan, who had been lost in thought, hesitated and then opened his mouth.
"If my master will permit it, I intend to go to the capital."
His eyes were filled with many things.
Various worries were surely still seething inside his head.
"Go. We can manage well enough even if you're away for a while."
"Thank you."
"But once you return, you'll have to make a firm decision."
Whether to remain the Perdes heir, or to walk another path.
"I know. I will go and tie up the knot, one way or another."
"Right."
I patted his shoulder.
Whatever choice Ivan made, I intended to support him.
Losing a worker is a shame, though.
He was even the most skilled of the personnel we'd been able to deploy into the kitchen. An excellent employee.
But in exchange for losing 'Chef Ivan,' who could learn a wider variety of recipes, I would gain the 'Perdes heir' who could keep Crown Princess Diana in check in the capital.
And if he chooses not to take the position of heir?
The Perdes family's fury would come crashing down on Ivan.
I did not believe he would crumble because of it.
Besides, I had more than enough means to handle the fallout if the Perdes family became enraged.
I looked at Haran, who was now sweating profusely as he ate his gukbap.
From the moment Ivan's relentless barrage of questions shifted to the other knights, Haran had been burying his face in his bowl and focusing entirely on his meal.
I'll have to send a clear message to the duke.
It's time to put some distance between himself and the First Prince.